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# Asmund Navta

#### by Kevin Hassall

The copyright of this article remains with the original author. Articles may be copied or distributed freely for personal non-profit use, provided that the author is properly credited.

#### Asmund Navta, follower of Flambeau

### Background

Asmund was taken at the age of six, from his home village on the coast of Norway, by a band of Irish pirates - ironically, since his village had, centuries earlier, sent out raiders towards Ireland, and some of those returning in this Irish longship may well have been descendants of the village's own lost sons.

Although the pirates were accustomed to taking children as slaves and servants (some of those on the ship had themselves been taken in this way) the ship's commander took a special interest in young Asmund. Asmund was kept safe at the pirates' base - a "covenant" called Lombard - with many a knowing eye cast in his direction, but it was not until he was 15 ("I'm not having some child under my feet - I'll wait 'til he can heft a sword like a man!") that he was formally taken on as an "apprentice".

Much of Asmund's tuition took place on board ship. He would spend each winter in the lab with his master, but the other seasons would be spent cruising the Baltic in search of interesting targets ("remember! 'I will not interfere with mundanes and bring danger to my sodalis' - don't **** where you eat, and always go for targets away from the Order's sphere of influence") or lain up in coves around the Scots coast - reading, or listening to his master.

He learned how to sail and how to lead. He learned to make men want to die for him, and he learned that his first responsibility, always, was to his men (and to the Order second). He learned magics to let his ship pass unnoticed through hostile waters, and magics to make his men lethal in combat - and magics, of course, to put the fear of God (or the fear of magi) into his men.

Around Scotland and the Baltic the ships of Lombard - with ravens on their sails and with a magical raven mascot for each ship - became notorious. There were easier ways for a Covenant to get an income, of course, but none so fitting to the traditions of House Flambeau nor, for that matter, any so useful for giving practical experience to the grogs.

At 25 the covenant gave Asmund his own ship to command, with its own Raven mascot to serve him, although he always sailed in a fleet with his master's ship. At 30, now that he is a full mage (he sees no reason to take a Latinate name, beyond the Navta addition) Lombard have told him to keep his longship and men, and to find his own way. Filled with nostalgia for the legendary days of the old Norse Vikings, he plans to raid for a year or so. Eventually he will contact other young magi to found a covenant, or else return to Lombard, but for now he is happy raiding and doing favours for other magi (giving passage to a Red Cap, perhaps, etc.).

Name: Asmund Navta, follower of Flambeau

House: Flambeau

Age: 30 (apparent 30)

Size: 0

### Characteristics:

Int | +2 | shrewd | Str | +1 | muscular | Prs | +1 | stone faced | Dex | 0 |
Per | +1 | on-edge | Sta | +1 | thick set | Com | +1 | firm voice | Qik | -1 | measured movements

### Virtues

Weather Sense
Highly Trained
Magical Animal Companion (Raven)
Ship (assumed +1)
Inventive Genius

### Flaws

Favours (his master at Lombard)
Infamous as a Pirate
Common Deleterious Circumstance (when away from large body of water)
Weak Parma (when away from large body of water)
Weak Magic (Ignem).

### Personality Traits

Reliable +2
Loyal (to his men) +2
Brave +2
Nostalgic/Romantic +2
Greedy +1
Trusting -1
Compassionate -2

#### Reputations

none yet

#### Confidence

3

### Abilities

Magic Theory 4
Hermes Lore 1
Parma Magica (Aquam) 3
Concentration 1
Finesse 3
Penetration 1
Scribe Latin 2
Speak Latin 5
Speak Norwegian Norse 4
Speak Irish Gaelic 3
Speak Scots Gaelic 1
Speak Manx 1
Speak Norman French 1
Boating (command) 4
Leadership (raiders) 4
Swim 1
Survival (seashores) 1
Carouse 1
Area Lore - Scots Coast 2
Area Lore - Baltic coasts 2
Brawl 1
Single Weapon 1
Weather Sense (at sea) 3
Affinity - the Sea 2
Legend Lore 1
Awareness 1
Folk Ken 1
Bargain 1

### Hermetic Arts

Creo | 5 | Animal | 1 | Ignem | 3
Intellego | 1 | Aquam | 1 | Imaginem | 2
Muto | 1 | Auram | 8 | Mentem | 1
Perdo | 9 | Corpus | 5 | Terram | 1
Rego | 5 | Herbam | 2 | Vim | 3

### Grimoire

Lungs of the Fish
True Sight of the Air
Dust to Dust
The Raiders' Cloak, CrAu 15
Certain Winds, Cr/ReAu 20
Curse of Perdition PeCo 25
The Eager Fire CrIg 5
Bleeding the Life Away PeCo 25
The Wizard's Parry, ReTe/He 10
The Ghostly Raiders: PeIm 10

### Own Spells

The Raiders' Cloak: CrAu 15, Diameter. Creates a fog of Boundary or Sight (whichever is less) with the proviso that the fogs never extend more than 15 yards from the sea (or other large body of water - like a lake), although thin tendrils and whisps extend up to 100 paces from the waters. For the first two minutes from casting (the Duration) the mists persist despite gale or storm; after two minutes they dissipate naturally.

Certain Winds: CrAu (Re) 20, Sun. The caster's own ship benefits from strong following winds whichever way it turns - not strong enough to break the mast, but strong enough to drive the ship along at a frightening speed - until either the Duration expires or the sail is lowered (whichever comes first). The spell creates a wind if none exists, or redirects an existing wind.

Curse of Perdition: PeCo 25, Near/Far, Moon/Perm. The target human is affected as per Agony of the Beast, but with a much nastier duration - a spell for torture and punishment.

The Eager Fire: CrIg 5, Near, Small, Momentary. A single piece or patch of dry wood, straw or similar catches fire. Favoured targets: the sacking of an enemy's food supplies, just as the two ships close for combat; near the top of an enemy's mast if there is little wind; the steering oar (or the helmsman's end of it) as two ships manoeuvre around each other.

Bleeding the Life Away: PeCo 25, Near, Concentration, Ind. The target begins to bleed heavily and painfully from his/her nose and mouth, eyes and ears, and lower orifices, and also from beneath his/her fingernails and toe nails. Consequently, the target loses two body levels per turn (a Stamina stress roll of 12+ reduces this to one, a roll of 18+ negates it - roll anew each round).

The Wizard's Parry: ReTe (He) 10, Personal, Diameter. The caster may automatically deflect any one known metal or wooden attack for the duration of the spell.

The Ghostly Raiders: PeIm 10, Touch, Sun, Group. The members of the group remain invisible for the duration of the spell - although they can be seen if they make any obvious action (like walking through a closely observed narrow doorway, talking, or attacking someone). If they are seen, however, this does not end the spell's effect, as the observer loses sight of the person/group as soon as s/he looks away. The objective is to allow a group of troops or raiders to get into position without being seen, and then to enjoy a significant tactical advantage during any subsequent scrap. The downside is that it becomes harder for the group to remain cohesive in a fight, as they can't usually see each other.